Líffræðifélag Íslands - biologia.is
Líffræðiráðstefnan 2019
Erindi/veggspjald / Talk/poster V5
Höfundar / Authors: Ingunn Hreinsdóttir (1), Auður Hreinsdóttir (1), Matthías Eydal (2), Kristoffer Relling Tysnes (1), Lucy J. Robertson (1)
Starfsvettvangur / Affiliations: 1. Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Oslo, Norway, 2. Institute for Experimental Pathology at Keldur, University of Iceland, Reykjavík, Iceland
Kynnir / Presenter: Matthías Eydal
The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of the intestinal tapeworm, Anoplocephala perfoliata, in horses in Iceland and evaluate associations between intensity of infection and the severity of macroscopic pathological lesions. Relationships between infection and geographical location, horse age, and gender were investigated. Necropsy was performed on 104 horses (age 1-30 years) slaughtered during June-July 2016 and a quantitative fecal egg analysis was attempted by a modified McMaster technique. The prevalence of A. perfoliata in the horses was 64.4%, 1-131 worms were found in infected horses, mean intensity was 29 worms. The pathological changes associated with infection varied from mild (hyperemia in small areas) to severe (large ulcers and necrotic lesions coated with fibrin), and intensity of infection correlated with the size and type of pathological lesions in the intestines. No statistically significant associations between infection with A. perfoliata and geographical location, horse age, or horse gender were detected. The McMaster method used here was of very low sensitivity, and concluded to be inadequate for detection of A. perfoliata infection. The prevalence of A. perfoliata in horses in Iceland was relatively high compared with results from many studies performed elsewhere in Europe. This may reflect the lack of treatment of horses for this parasite, the environmental suitability for the intermediate mite host, and grazing management practices in Iceland. The high prevalence and association with pathology suggest that diagnosis of infection using a more-sensitive coprological method, along with appropriate treatment, should be considered for horses in Iceland.